Red Bull workers are fearing Christian Horner could be targeted by a second batch of leaked messages that would overshadow the start of the new Formula One season.
The 2024 campaign gets fully underway in Bahrain this afternoon with reigning world champion Max Verstappen on pole position after a stellar performance in Friday’s qualifying session.
Earlier this week, Verstappen’s boss was cleared to continue as Red Bull team principal following an internal probe into ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by the F1 team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH.
He has always denied the claims.
But just 24 hours later, a number of messages and images apparently exchanged between Horner and the complainant were sent from an anonymous email account to 149 members of the F1 paddock – including FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and the grid’s nine other team principals, as well as members of the media.
Domenicali and Ben Sulayem spoke on Friday to discuss the next steps and summoned Horner for showdown talks, shortly after it emerged that the 50-year-old’s wife, Geri Halliwell, had arrived in the Gulf State via private jet.
It remains to be seen whether or not the former Spice Girl will attend today’s race, amid speculation she is contemplating the future of her marriage, Chalerm Yoovidhya, who owns 51 per cent of the Red Bull group, might also be in attendance.
The pair would face further embarrassment were a fresh leak to arrive later this afternoon, with both The Times and Daily Mail reporting that rumours of second tranche of messages were rife on Friday.
Neither F1’s American owners, Liberty Media, nor its regulator, the FIA, have seen Red Bull GmbH’s report into Horner, which is thought to stretch to 150 pages and was said to be “confidential”.
The FIA considered the legalities of asking Red Bull to hand over its report, and examining if Horner might have breached two clauses of its International Sporting Code.
However, the likelihood of any action receded as another extraordinary day – which included speculation that another damning email leak would arrive but never did – wore on.
Red Bull’s superstar driver Verstappen, meanwhile, stopped short of providing his full support for embattled Horner.
Verstappen temporarily took the spotlight off Horner when the Dutchman secured pole with a typically commanding performance in qualifying.
But moments after capturing top spot, Verstappen was quizzed on how the latest allegations surrounding Red Bull had affected his preparations, and if Horner remains the right person to lead the crisis-hit team.
‘From my side, and, from the mechanics and engineers, we’re fully focused on the car, and fully focused on the weekend which is how it should be and that is what we continue to do,’ said Verstappen.
Appearing to swerve the question about Horner, he added: ‘It’s not our business to get involved in that. We are paid to do our job, that is what we are out there doing, and that is what we love doing and that is what I focus on.’
Verstappen was asked again if he still had faith in Horner.
‘When I look at how Christian operates within the team he has been an incredible boss so from the performance kind of things you can’t question that,” he added.
‘I speak to Christian a lot and he is fully committed to the team.
‘He is here for the performance, and of course he is a little bit distracted, but we just focus on performance and that is how we all work together.’
MORE : Max Verstappen says he still has faith in ‘incredible’ Christian Horner amid Red Bull scandal
MORE : Christian Horner’s accuser believes she’s been ‘crucified’ over Red Bull investigation
MORE : Geri Halliwell ‘stunned’ and ‘humiliated’ by details of ‘leaked Christian Horner WhatsApp messages’
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